Springtime: A glorious time for spring cleaning and renewal

SAN DIEGO, March 26, 2014 — For those residing in the northern hemisphere of the Earthly globe, springtime is upon us.

With spring’s promise of rebirth and new beginnings, few can deny the experience of pure joy created by seeing melting snow, blossoming leaves, or blooming flowers and hearing the sound of nature’s melody created by birdsong, croaking frogs, or wind in the trees.

Spring’s warmer days and increasingly brighter sunlight brings the anticipation that there are new possibilities for enjoying more of everyday life.

According to Dr. John Sharp, in The Emotional Calendar, published in psychologytoday.com, there is an increase in metabolism and turnover of the neurotransmitters of the brain during spring, which provides the basis for spring fever and an increase in energy.

Photo courtesy of Martin Hirtreiter

Energized and rejuvenated, many people decide to embark on the annual ritual of spring cleaning.

It is very healthy to remove the clutter from personal space, but it can be even more powerful if clutter is removed from within the psyche.

Clutter is an over-accumulation of a variety of items and possessions which were acquired with the perception that they held special value and meaning.

The greater the amount of physical clutter, the greater the emotional clutter.

Possessing the willingness to remove clutter from the environment may seem daunting, but it is imperative to establish sound priorities to determine what is truly useful and what is no longer serving any real purpose.

By determining priorities and characterizing items as either absolutely necessary or no longer necessary, one item time at a time, the contrast in perceived importance will help to determine which items remain, and which items are ready to be bagged-up and donated to charity.

Writer Debbie Mandell, in The 5 Hidden Benefits of Spring Cleaning, published in selfgrowth.com, suggests that clutter may be a barrier to fully experiencing life and love, and recommends the following strategies to begin the de-cluttering process:

-Toss out the toxins of your life. Physical and mental clutter can spoil your life.

-Look for a pattern which is creating clutter. If too much of the same item is purchased, for example, or dating the same type of person resembling an ex-spouse becomes a pattern, find out why negative behaviors are repeating themselves.

-Learn to be selective. Designate what is truly treasured and what is not. Choose to engage in what creates personal compassion and happiness.

-Liberate your true identity. Realize the value of humanity from within, and that it is far greater than any possessions.

-Make room for hidden talents to emerge. Reorganizing the environment, while actively creating space, provides both the place and opportunity for inspiration to become aspiration.

Dr. Sharp further suggests that people are conditioned by springtimes of the past and may respond to the advent of each new spring by repeating old patterns of behavior.

Therefore, Dr. Sharp recommends undergoing “two spring spruce-ups, “transforming something in both the personal environment and in personal life, whether it is an attitude or a routine.

Purposeful changes of any kind bring the opportunity for new and exciting results.

Published in psychology today.com, Dr. Dorothy Furman asks some thought-provoking questions worth considering in her article, Spring cleaning: From the inside out:

“Who will we be if we really clean out our inner room? Too often, we know ourselves by these very trappings: old stories, limited beliefs, scripts from childhood; old wounds; and outdated fears.”

As the sunlight shines brighter, and daffodils become profuse with color, it is beneficial to embrace the promise of spring.

Nature’s own glorious rebirth may inspire personal choices which create a fulfilling life blessed with rejuvenation and joy!

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Until next time, enjoy the ride in good health!

Laurie Edwards-Tate, MS, is a health care provider of over 30 years. As a featured “Communities Digital News” columnist, LifeCycles with Laurie Edwards-Tate emphasizes healthy aging and maintaining independence, while delighting and informing its readers. Laurie is a recognized expert in home and community-based, long-term care services, and is also an educator.

In addition to writing for “Communities Digital News,” Laurie is the President and CEO of her firm, At Your Home Familycare, which serves persons of all ages who are disabled and infirm with a variety of non-medical, in-home care and concierge services.

Laurie Edwards-Tate, MS, President and Founder of At Your Home Familycare in San Diego, California, was among the first to recognize the growing need for services allowing individuals to remain independent created by the aging of America including the Baby Boomer generation, now being called the “Silver Tsunami.” It is the Baby Boomers who are rapidly redefining what aging and growing older means and looks like in America today.
Now celebrating its 28th year in business, AYHF is among San Diego County’s Top Women-Owned Businesses and Fastest Growing Businesses, and enjoys a reputation for upholding the highest possible standards among its employees and its emphasis on customer service. Edwards-Tate is a valued contributor to the public dialogue on current issues and challenges in the home care industry, and serves in leadership roles on the Home Care Aide Association of America Advisory Board and Private Duty Home Care Association Advisory Board, as well as the Home Care Aide Steering Committee of the California Association for Health Services at Home.
Edwards-Tate is frequently interviewed in the media on healthy aging, caregiving, and health care topics.
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